Alliance of small island states

LONDON/INCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) - Keeping the Earth’s temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius means making rapid, unprecedented changes in the way people use energy to eat, travel and live or we risk even more extreme weather and loss of species, a U.N. report said on Monday. Meeting 1.5C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, rather than the 2C target agreed at global climate talks in Paris in 2015, would have “clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems,” the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said on Monday. Without real change, the world is not even on course to reach the 2C target, experts said. U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary-general Petteri Taalas told reporters in Geneva: “There is clearly need for a much higher ambition level to reach even a 2 degrees target, we are moving more toward 3 to 5 (degrees) at the moment.” The past 18 years have been the warmest on record … [Read more...] about Rapid, unprecedented change needed to halt global warming

(Repeats earlier story to add coding for wider readership with no change to text) * U.N. report to guide governments on meeting Paris targets * Report affirms meeting 1.5C rise target better than 2C * Exceeding 1.5C rise would demand removing CO2 * Global sea level to rise less with a 1.5C hike By Nina Chestney and Jane Chung LONDON/INCHEON, South Korea, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Society would have to enact “unprecedented” changes to how it consumes energy, travels and builds to meet a lower global warming target or it risks increases in heat waves, flood-causing storms and the chances of drought in some regions as well as the loss of species, a U.N. report said on Monday. Keeping the Earth’s temperature rise to only 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) rather than the 2C target agreed to at the Paris Agreement talks in 2015, would have “clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems,” the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change … [Read more...] about RPT-UPDATE 2-U.N. warns world must take “unprecedented” steps to…

LONDON/INCHEON (Reuters) - Society would have to enact “unprecedented” changes to how it consumes energy, travels and builds to meet a lower global warming target or it risks increases in heat waves, flood-causing storms and the chances of drought in some regions as well as the loss of species, a U.N. report said on Monday. FILE PHOTO: People make their way through heavy smog on an extremely polluted day with red alert issued, in Shengfang, Hebei province, China December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo Keeping the Earth’s temperature rise to only 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) rather than the 2C target agreed to at the Paris Agreement talks in 2015, would have “clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems,” the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said on Monday in a statement announcing the report’s release. The IPCC report said at the current rate of warming, the world’s … [Read more...] about U.N. warns world must take ‘unprecedented’ steps to avert worst…

LONDON/INCHEON (Reuters) - Society would have to carry out “unprecedented” changes to the way it operates to keep global temperatures from rising by less than targeted or it risks increases in heat waves and flood-causing storms and the chances of drought in some regions, a U.N. report said on Monday. FILE PHOTO: People make their way through heavy smog on an extremely polluted day with red alert issued, in Shengfang, Hebei province, China December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo Keeping the Earth’s temperature rise to only 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) rather than the 2C target agreed to at the Paris Agreement talks in 2015, would have “clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems,” the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said on Monday in a statement announcing the report’s release. The IPCC report said at the current rate of warming, the world’s temperatures would likely reach 1.5C … [Read more...] about Massive societal changes needed to meet lower global warming target…

LONDON/SEOUL (Reuters) - Temperatures are likely to rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2030 and 2052 if global warming continues at its current pace and if the world fails to take rapid and unprecedented measures to stem the increase, a U.N. report said on Monday. FILE PHOTO: People make their way through heavy smog on an extremely polluted day with red alert issued, in Shengfang, Hebei province, China December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) met last week in Incheon, South Korea to finalize the report, prepared at the request of governments in 2015 when a global pact to tackle climate change was agreed. The report is seen as the main scientific guide for government policymakers on how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Paris pact aims to limit global average temperature rise to “well below” 2C above pre-industrial levels, while seeking to tighten the goal to 1.5C. There has already … [Read more...] about Temperatures to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030-2052 without rapid…